Google patent reveals a new menu, which looks very familiar

A new patent filing reveals what might be a new Android menu from Google. In their patent, Google has a different approach to the slide-out or drop-down menu we’ve been using for some time. It’s a bit like the camera menu, but adds a lot of features that will likely break it apart from the camera app.

Via the patent filing, we see that Google wants us to have a radial menu, with apps or services launched by virtue of sliding your finger through the menu — a lot like the camera menu many use daily. The difference here also has to do with sizing, as the menu looks as though it can be resized with each use. The downside to that is that it wants a two-fingered approach, where one finger acts as an anchor.

With one finger acting as an anchor for orientation, the other is free to both resize and make options. Once the menu is sized to the users’ liking, one could make menu selections. That interface suggests that the size of the menu correlates to the options available, so we’d be interested to see how Google handles that effectively.

We immediately think of our smartphones, but we should keep an open mind. With Google getting involved in other mediums, this patent could relate to another device or platform altogether. Between the expected Google gaming device and incoming wearables SDK, there are plenty of avenues for this to find its way. Their connected home ambitions are still not wholly known, either. We can’t say we’re excited for it, but we are interested to see how Google handles this menu, should it see the light of day.